The Quest to Reunite With You
by ThatOneWriterFromShef
Summary: Sequel to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Return! Now that Bolt has regained his lost memories, along with Team Soul, he embarks on a journey to reunite with some lost friends, and finally get something off of his tiny yellow chest. Though it seems fate has things in store for them before that happens. Will contain strong language, laughs, fluff and a crossover with anime/games.
1. Chapter 1

**The Quest to Reunite With You**

**Chapter 1: The Journey Begins!**

**The follow up/sequel to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Return!**

**There will be laughs, fights, and more in this journey! **

**And remember...Pokemon doesn't belong to me, it belongs to Game Freak!**

**Oh, and if there ever was an anime theme for this fic, I'd pick Masayume Chasing by Boa.**

**STORY AND CHAPTER BEGIN!**

(In some unknown location...)

In a dark place that sort of looks like a chamber, the Pikachu with the scar walks in, a scowl on his face. "Hmph. A waste of my time. That was humiliating to say the least. Oh well. I hope those criminals will be useful to us."

"Yet you got arrested. Spending too much time there was slightly hazardous." Says a figure with piercing red eyes that lurks in the darkness. "You spent too much time bragging to those two that it almost cost you dearly. You let yourself get hit pretty much. You brought it on yourself."

"Pfft. Don't lecture me. Typical bad guy, you do the same thing. And look at how "you" got defeated by those two. I guess we're two of a kind."

Right at that moment, the Pikachu keels over, holding his head and groaning in pain.

"You compare yourself to me? You don't know what I'm actually capable of. Just be grateful I'm helping you. Be grateful I'm sparing you."

"You...you aren't helping me! Whatever you've done to me is making me attack...it's making me do things I normally wouldn't have done before. Know that I'm only helping you because you're helping me get things back to the way they were before-AAAH!"

"Try as you want, you rodent. Things won't completely go back to normal for you. Your partner was killed 9 years ago, and I need not remind you what happened to your so called "brother" and his partner. Now are you going to continue to defy me? Or do you want me to continue helping you get this world back to normal? You'd better choose your words wisely, or I'll end you here and now!"

"Nnnggh..." His fist crackles in an odd black electricity. "I...I...I apologise. Now stop this freakin' pain in my head you psycho!"

A few seconds later, the Pikachu drops to the floor, catching his breath, and shaking his head. "O-ow..."

"Better make sure it stays that way. You wouldn't like it if I resorted to doing things myself.."

(The next morning, outside Beach Cave)

Flarea wakes up with a satisfying yawn. She cracks her neck to see that the sun is rising up into the sky. She smiles warmly at the sight. (**A.N. No pun intended...because...y'know, fire type?**)

"_The sunrise...I haven't really seen it lately because I'm always sleeping in our room. It's been ages since the last guild expedition. Glad the master's let us do this now. I mean, not that I won't be happy seeing that little electric type's little mug again...it's just I've been craving this type of adventure for so long. All work and no play make this fire type a very cranky fox."_

Just then, she feels something fidgeting close to her. She turns her head to see Gracie curled up close to her, a small smile on her face, as her chest rises and falls gently, signifying she's sound asleep.

"_Awwww...like the little sister I never had."_

She then looks around to notice something. Something that frightens her. Something that makes her fur stand on edge.

"Wattson isn't here." She sharply turns her head towards Beach Cave. "Oh, crap." She gets to her feet instantly, which ends up waking Gracie up with a start, and runs over to the entrance of Beach Cave. "WATTSON!" She bellows into Beach Cave, which echoes off the walls. "WHEN YOU GET BACK OUT HERE, I SWEAR I'M GOING TO BURN YOU!"

She gets no reply, which makes her even madder.

"DO YOU HEAR ME, THUNDER-NUT?!"

"Yeah, I hear you, loud and clear. And for the record, I'm not in Beach Cave you crazy hot headed fire type."

Flarea freezes where she is, and slowly looks back. She sees Wattson walking onto the beach, with the treasure bag hooked over his shoulder. "Wha...What..."

"I went to go grab some last minute supplies for the journey. Is there a problem or somethin'? Thought I'd gone in there again?"

She takes a few steps back, looking back and forth between the Heliolisk and the cave in front of her, and a few seconds later, a horde of water type Pokemon, backed by an angry Golduck and Samurott roll up to the entrance.

"Ah..." She quietly squeaks out, as the water types all launch their most powerful water attacks at her. "Welp...!"

Help is at the ready, as Wattson jumps in front of her, and launches a Parabolic Charge attack, countering the water attacks. This puts the frights into the water types, as they instantly back off.

"Get lost water scrubs! If you don't wanna be fried today, you'll leave my friend alone!"

"S-she disturbed our peace!" The Golduck defends.

"You're the ones that kick up a fuss when some Pokemon just wanna explore!"

"You're the one that always picks a fight with us!"

"You have the choice to decline."

The water types go quiet after this reasoning, and with a collective grumble, they retreat back into the cave. "Lousy Diamond Rank exploration teams, thinking they can boss us about..."

After they've retreated, there's a pregnant pause right up until Wattson swivels around, a neutral look on his face.

"Well! Times'a wastin'! We got a lost team mate to find!" He saunters past an ironically yet metaphorically frozen Flarea. "Oh wait, make that two..."

"_D-did that seriously just happen?! __Wattson's the most...backwards Pokemon I've ever worked with...calls me crazy...while being crazy himself...and then saves me and acts like it was nothing...?!"_

"I say we get some breakfast before we head out. I don't wanna do this on an empty stomach." Wattson states.

Flarea is about to argue back, but she's interrupted by the loud rumbling of her stomach. She lowers her head and sighs, making Gracie giggle.

"Looks like your stomach isn't on your side today. Come on, Flare. May as well eat before heading out. And grab a drink at Spinda's Cafe while we're at it." She gets up and stretches, yawning slightly. "That was the best nap I've had in a long while..." She licks her paw, and wipes it along her head to get the fur there straightened out.

"What're you doing?" Wattson asks, before a sly smirk makes its way onto her face. "Trying to look your best for-"

He can't finish his sentence, as an Ice Beam hits his mouth, freezing it. Gracie walks past him, with an unamused look on her face mixed with a blush.

"Shut it, Wattson."

Wattson sweatdrops and walks on while the sun starts to thaw the ice from his face. _"That was cold..."_

"She got you good, Wattson." Flarea comments walking alongside him. "Oh, by the way, your lips'll probably be a bit red, once they've thawed. You'll end up looking like a female Wobbuffet." She giggles.

"_Aw, crap..."_

A little later, after Wattson's mouth has thawed from its icy prison, they walk out of Spinda's Cafe, each clutching a drink of their choice. "Ever wonder if Spinda likes anybody?" Wattson asks.

"Yeah, it's been on my mind a few times. Though I've always wondered what sex Spinda is." Gracie comments. "Myself, I've always thought Spinda's a boy. Never came off as a female to me."

"Wanna know somthin'?" Flarea asks them both, grabbing their attention. "Spinda's actually a girl."

"No way..!" Gracie says in slight shock.

"Way!" Flarea remarks with a laugh.

"_Damn, so that's why I've been feeling all weird around her?"_ Wattson thinks.

"So are we heading out now?" Flarea asks.

"Nah, the guild wanna give us a send off. Hopefully it won't take too long though." Gracie says, her tail wagging.

"You're really impatient to get going, aren't you?" Flarea asks matter-of-factly. "Look, stay calm, alright? Bolt might be out there, but nothing's gonna happen if you go like an hour or two later than you planned."

"...Fine."

"Besides, the guild are our friends as well, don't you want to spend a little bit of time with them before you go?"

"I know, I know...Two hours though. And then we leave." Gracie tells her in defeat. "We should head there now. It's in front of the statue. The whole town is sending us off."

"The whole town?!" Wattson asks in shock. "Why would the whole town send us away?!"

"You seem to forget who exactly we're searching for, Wattson. Which is actually surprising if so." Flarea sternly states.

"I-I didn't mean it like that!" Wattson waves his hands in defence. "I just didn't expect it is all!"

"Good." Flarea bluntly puts and looks where she's walking, making Wattson sigh in relief.

(Meanwhile, at Pokemon Square)

The group are at the lake where Whiscash is, relaxing.

"Um, Whiscash?" Kami asks the elder water Pokemon.

"Yes? What is it, little Pichu?"

"What exactly happens in the Luminous Cave?"

"Well...originally, evolving was something that could only be done by entering special places."

"Special places? Like the cave?" She asks, tilting her head.

"Of course. That and Luminous Spring. For Pokemon to evolve, they had to travel great distances to these places. Bringing along the various items they'd possibly need to do so if necessary. In times of great catastrophe, however, Luminous Cave would seal itself up and Luminous Spring would simply cease to work, depending on exactly where the incident was taking place. For example: when that meteor was heading on a collision course with the planet 13 years ago, it was messing with the systems around the general area, from around here, to places such as Mt. Freeze, Western Cave and Mt. Faraway. Naturally, the forces that made the cave work reacted and sealed it up. Luminous Spring was a much more mysterious place when time was wonky. Sure, Pokemon could reach the place and explore...but it just wouldn't work! The more baffling part is Luminous Cave was still functioning properly!"

"I might know why." Titania says.

"Oh?" Whiscash asks.

"Thing is, the Time Gears kept time rolling, but they were kept in and around places that were near Treasure Town. Any effects of time over there, the spreading isn't very instantaneous. This place was only starting to feel the effects of the time crisis before things went back to normal. I was in Canyon Town at the time. They didn't feel anything at all."

"Very good insight, miss!"

"It helps to be well read." She states with a smile.

"Nerd!"

"Zip it, mutt!"

"As I was saying, there are cases where a Pokemon can naturally invoke the power to evolve! For example times when a friend or loved one is in danger. I heard the hero who defeated Dialga to save time did just that!"

"Atchoo!"

"Gesundheit."

"So...when I evolve, I probably won't need to go to Luminous Cave or Luminous Spring?" Kami asks the elder Whiscash."

"That's precisely right! If you're fighting to protect a close friend or a member of your family, you'll probably be able to pull it off yourself! In fact I managed it myself!" he boasts with a hearty chuckle.

"Whoa. Seriously?" Titania asks in mild shock.

"When my home was being threatened by a group of Carnivine, I had to do something. So I evolved from a small and meager Barboach into what I am now."

"What happened?"

"I lost."

And with that, Kami and Titania fall over, anime style.

"But I was saved by a passing Delphox who valiantly fought them off. Lucky she was passing by. I wanted to thank her, but she gave me a Sitrus Berry and ran off soon after. Funnily enough not long after that, Magnezone's police forces came floating by."

"Ah...I see." Titania states, managing to hold in a laugh without Whiscash noticing.

"And the weirdest part is..." Whiscash leans in. "There's a rumour going around that there are Pokemon that can evolve past their final stage."

"Whoa! That sounds awesome!" Kami exclaims.

"It does sound rather exciting doesn't it, young one?" He turns to the Mawile next to her, who looks kind of solemn. "Are you alright, Miss? You seemed to space out just then."

She snaps out of her trance and sweats a little. "I-I'm fine! I'm fine! Perfectly fine...hehe..."

"So Mr. Whiscash, just wondering. Where was your egg hatched?"

"Ah, funny thing about that actually...I hatched in the hu-"

"Hey, Kami! Titania! We're heading out now!" Inferno shouts in, interrupting the water/ground duel type.

"We decided on a team name change!" Bolt adds, making Titania double take.

"What? Oh. Whiscash. Sorry, but we really need to get going. Thank you for the storytelling and your knowledge."

"It's no problem at all, Titania! You four have a safe journey now!" The elder wishes them with a smile on his face.

"We'll give it a shot. No promises." She chuckles before lowering her horn jaws for Kami to hop on to, smiling. However, when she reunites with the two males, her smile drops. "So what did you end up picking? Something over the top I presume?"

"Actually...no." Inferno states calmly. "We went with Team Soul." Titania stops and looks at the two for a moment, Kami happily munching on an Oran Berry atop her horn jaws.

"Why something as simple as "Soul"?" Her look turns to a confused one. "I thought you were into those kind of "awesome" sounding team names."

"Well, I'm gonna be honest. "Unknown" we agreed on because we thought we weren't gonna get well known. And we never really told anybody our team name. But the ironic thing is, we did get quite a few Pokemon who knew us where they saw us, and we weren't exactly "unknown" after that. And so I thought. You know our Exploration Team badges? Well you know how whenever we get separated from each other during a mission? And how if ever one of us completes the mission while we're separated, we all end up leaving? Well I think our badges are connected to our souls, and through that, while we're on a team, our souls become one. I was originally gonna go for "United Souls" but that'd be too long. So Team Soul is what we chose. That's alright, isn't it?...Ti?"

The Mawile just stands there, slack jawed at the Growlithe's explanation. Bolt snickers and leans over to Inferno. "Mate, I think you broke her." This causes the Growlithe to chuckle.

"She probably thought I was gonna go for something overkill. I'm not that bad, am I?" Inferno asks, looking at Bolt with puppy eyes.

This of course makes Bolt look back off a little, sweatdropping. "Ummm...no, no, of course not...then again, I've only just met you so I can't really know for sure...that a good enough answer?" He asks, rubbing the back of his head, hoping for a good reaction.

"Yeah, I'm good." Inferno states nonchalantly.

"Y'know what? We should just get going. If we leave today we could get to Treasure Town in a few weeks." This makes Bolt's ear twitch.

"I'm sorry...did...did you just say-"

"Treasure Town? Yup!" Inferno confirms with a toothy grin.

"We'll be stopping off at a few points before we get there, doing a few jobs to keep our stock of Poke steady. At worst, I think it'll take us two months." Titania says, a knowing smile on her face.

This brings an unholy silence between the four, as Bolt takes time to process this. That's before he grins and throws both arms into the air, crackling with electricity "Alright!" The pressure of the power and the wattage makes the three other Pokemon flinch. "I can NOT wait to see the look on the faces of the guild when I walk through those doors, alive and well!" This statement causes Titania to roll her eyes, Kami to giggle, and Inferno to cackle, his mouth heating up.

"Aw yeah! Now even I can't wait to meet your friends! The Pokemon I can battle, the friends I could make as well! Stuff like that gets me fired up!" He releases a Flamethrower into the sky, which makes all three other Pokemon widen their eyes.

"Calm down, Inferno!" They shout, which he does, with a sheepish look on his face.

"Heh. Sorry guys."

"'Salright, Inferno. Yeah...I'm gonna get right back to that guild, and everybody's gonna be there! Me, you guys, Gracie, Flarea and Karu! And that is a promise! Now let's get going!"

"Aye!" Inferno shouts as they two males walk off towards the old Rescue Team base, where the road out of town is. "Team Soul is a-go!"

Titania shakes her head and chuckles. "Boys." She then runs after them with Kami tailing her. "Wait up!"

**CHAPTER END**

**Now here we go! First chapter of a new adventure! Sorry it's a bit late. And the title is different to what it was originally going to be.**

**Next chapter will have a few of what Pokemon is famous for! Battles!**

**Ciao!**


	2. Comrades

**Chapter 2: Comrades**

**Alright peeps? **

**Okay, so you're probably wondering: what happened to that Dewott at the end of The Return that the other Pikachu took down? Well you'll get the answer to that in this chapter.**

"Whoa. Whatever happened here, must not have been pretty. From what Gracie told us, Temporal Tower looked healthier than this."

Karu approaches the broken up headquarters of Officer Magnezone's forces slowly. A million causes of this incident play out through his head. But one conclusion can only be drawn. Whoever did this must have been one tough customer.

"I wonder what happened to Officer Magnezone's team? Surely they could have prevented something like this."

He saunters up to the door and knocks on it a few times...only for it to tip over and hit the floor, making even Karu back up a little.

"Okay?" He peeks his head in and looks around, his aura at work. His eyes open. Survivors! "I hope they aren't too hurt...I'll need to get answers. If the perpetrator's still out there, he or she could be dangerous."

His aura still at work, he carefully walks into the HQ, keeping up his guard for anybody that might jump out and attack him.

"I don't like this...it's too quiet with all these survivors in here...though I'm getting a strong reading from one aura in particular with justice and revenge conflicting each other in emotions right now." He comes to a desk, which presumably belongs to the officer. However, what catches the Lucario's eye is the Big Apple perched in the centre of it.

"A Big Apple? Perched right in the centre of the desk? That seems suspicious to me...either that or how Magnezone's apples are places on the desk make him kind of OCD..." His stomach rumbles, interrupting him from his thoughts. "However...I haven't eaten since last night. So I'm sure he wouldn't mind...the Magnemite line don't even eat anyway. Nor do the Voltorb line for that matter. Bon appetite." Taking his aura guard down, he reaches for the Big Apple, mouth watering slightly.

Big mistake.

As soon as his paw touches the Apple, the ground beneath him gives out and out comes a Dewott surrounded by water, hitting Karu, and taking him into the air like a rocket. While in the air, the Dewott stops the attack, flips above Karu, and slamming both of his glowing hands together, summons forth a high pressured stream of water. Hydro Pump. It hits Karu head on, sending him crashing into the ground, making him skid along and crash through the wall.

Karu stands up, a little in awe of this Dewott's power. _"Whoa...this guy just came out of nowhere...right as I lowered my aura senses. Those water attacks were powerful as well. But far be it from me to turn down a challenge. Especially one of this calibur." _As the Dewott lands, however, Karu senses a powerful resonance from within. _"Of course. His special ability. Torrent. Each of the three elemental abilities, Blaze, Overgrow and Torrent,__ cause the bearer to__ go into a berserker state once it's activated. And the power of their respective elemental attacks skyrockets. Did he cause this damage? Or did whatever wreck this place do this to him? Whatever the case, I need to defeat him before he causes more damage."_

Raising his aura senses, he dodges a swipe from one of the Dewott's scalchops and jumps back a few feet, and putting his paws together, he forms an aura sphere, which he then launches at the Dewott.

The water type simply slashes the Aura Sphere in two, grinning. But it's Karu's turn to grin as both parts hit him in the stomach, exploding on contact and sending him flying back. After skidding to a halt, the water type struggles to get up, his resolve not yet giving up.

"Don't push yourself!" Karu yells at him. "If you do that, you could get yourself badly injured!"

"H-heh...it's a little too late for that now, don't ya think..? That punkass Pikachu gave me these wounds...and I'm not about to sit or lie down as he continues to get away with stuff like this. Magnezone's forces are down and out for the count...and I wanna get back at the little electric rat for puttin' us like this..."

"Watch your tongue, whoever you are. My best friend is a Pikachu."

"I DON'T CARE!" He shouts as he gets to his feet suddenly, detaching his other scalchop and imbuing it with the power of Razor Shell. He glares at Karu with a death glare, who simply stands there surprised at the outburst. "I WILL find that little jive yellow bastard! And with these scalchops in my hands, I'll go through YOU!" As he shouts this, a Thunder Wave comes from nowhere and hits the Dewott, paralysing him.

"THAT...IS QUITE ENOUGH, JET."

"Huh?" Karu exclaims, looking in the direction of which the Thunder Wave came from.

He sees Officer Magnezone float out of his office, shaking. He also sees that cause of the damage of the building, and the Dewott's (who's name seems to be Jet) injuries, might have done a number on the officer as well. Jet looks at the officer, an apologetic look on his face.

"S..Sorry..."

With that, Jet passes out, finally succumbing to his injuries.

"FIND SOME ORAN OR SITRUS BERRIES. HIS INJURIES ARE QUITE SEVERE." Magnezone tells Karu. But the latter has other plans.

He rolls Jet onto his back and then holds his paws over him, glowing a faint pink. "Heal Pulse..."

Just as the name suggests, a pulse expels from his paws and covers Jet's body.

"IT HAS BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE LAST MET...KARU OF TEAM BLAZING AURA." Magnezone claims.

This throws Karu off, but only for a brief moment. "I'm not part of that team any more. 5 years."

"YES, I'M WELL AWARE OF WHAT HAPPENED. THE GUILDMASTER TOLD ME OF THE DETAILS."

"Then he also probably told you I **don't **like to be reminded. Now can we not talk about about this?"

"...FINE. BUT YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM YOUR PAST FOREVER. ONE OF THESE DAYS YOU'LL HAVE TO FACE YOUR FRIENDS."

"...I plan to, Magnezone. I plan to real soon. Especially now that **he's** come back."

"'**HE**'"? Magnezone asks. "WHO ARE YOU TALKING ABOU-...WAIT...YOU DON'T MEAN-" His sentence is cut short as Karu simply nods.

"I saw him around Pokemon Square. And it's as if he never left. His battle style is exactly the same. His aura too. The only thing that isn't is his accent. And his voice. No longer that high little voice I got used to. Heh."

"...ARE YOU AND HIM GOING TO FIGHT WHEN YOU MEET UP AGAIN?"

This question takes Karu off guard. He sits there for a few moments, his Heal Pulse still working away. "I..." But then he grins and nods. "Yeah. I need to cut loose once in a while. These past 5 years I've been so intent on searching for him and now...all that weight has lifted off of my shoulders."

"...ALL OF IT?"

"Yeah, okay there's the problem of Flarea I have to deal with..."

"SHE'S A PROBLEM NOW IS SHE?"

"N-not like that!" Karu says defensively, paws up. "It's just...how I left. I pissed off Loudred, nearly punched the living daylights out of Chatot and...worst of all...I made Flarea cry...I left her behind. And it was just after we finally-"

"Ooohhh...my head...what hit me?" Jet moans, finally coming to and shaking his head. "First I get beaten down by that little Pikachu then...ohhh..." He looks up at Karu and grins sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine. Honestly." Karu says, chuckling lightly. "How're your wounds?"

"Better...which isn't saying much, since I was in complete agony before I passed out." He says dryly.

Karu rolls his eyes, and holds out his paw for Jet to take, helping him up. "Heal Pulse quickly fixed that. So...this Pikachu. What did he look like?" He asked, grabbing the apple from the desk and taking a bite out of it.

"Well...from a distance, he's your pretty standard Pikachu. Short, yellow, red cheeks and whatnot. But that's where similarities end. His eyes. They're...kinda red."

"Kinda red?"

"THAT IS ODD."

"Not only that, but on his right eye, there's a scar. One that looks like a lightning bolt. Not only that, but his lightning is a lot darker than your everyday electric type."

"That must have been that malicious aura I felt earlier. But for some reason, I lost it. Lost track of that aura. It was around here before I lost it."

"Did you feel it run away? Or just disappear? As if he was a Pokemon who could use Teleport?"

"MAYBE HE COULD USE IT? I HAVE HEARD OF A FLYING PIKACHU AND A SURFING PIKACHU SO A TELEPORTING PIKACHU ISN'T OUT OF THE QUESTION COMPLETELY."

"Whoa..."

"No. That didn't feel like a Teleport. It felt...otherworldly in a way."

"Well that's odd...wait!"

Both Karu and Officer Magnezone look at him.

"I did catch him using something to teleport away before passing out. It looked like a Warp Orb! Only...it looked...different. Really different. Something ancient, even."

"WHILE WE HAD IT IN OUR POSESSION, WE LOOKED THROUGH THE BOOKS TO SEE WHAT IT WAS AND WE HAD NO CLUE. THE BOOKS HAD NOTHING. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ON IT."

"It felt otherworldly, like I said...Agh, I can't lay about while something could be happening. I need to find this Pokemon before anybody else gets hurt."

"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU COULD BRING THIS PIKACHU DOWN IF THE ENTIRE POLICE FORCE COULDN'T?"

"...Because as far as I'm concerned, what he's doing is disgracing Bolt's species as a Pikachu. And I'm not about to let that go."

"...OKAY. I WISH YOU LUCK, KARU."

He nods and is about to walk out, when-

"Wait!"

He stops and turns to Jet, who's walking towards him. "I have a score to settle with that Pikachu too. Let me come with you."

"...You want to come with me to find that Pikachu? Think of your type disadvantage."

"I know all about it. But I still want to give him a lesson in pain just like you do." He smiles. "Besides. You get a free travelling buddy."

It takes Karu a moment to ponder this, but he soon turns around fully, holding out his paw, to which Jet responds by shaking it.

"Let's bring down this evildoer together." Karu says in pure confidence.

"Right!" Jet replies.

"GOOD LUCK, YOU TWO."

They nod and walk out of the door, on a search.

"...YOU'LL NEED IT."

(Meanwhile, in the centre of Treasure Town...)

"GOOD LUCK, TEAM ICEBURN!"

"W-whoa...!" Gracie exclaims as she and the other two arrive.

"I've heard of a sendoff, but this takes the cake..!" Flarea whispers in awe.

"All this for sending off a search party?" Wattson asks, confused.

"Like I said earlier, it's about who we're searching for." Flarea states, glaring at him.

"Flarea, forget it...let's just enjoy this and go.." Gracie says, her eyes watering a little bit.

"Awww. Is seeing this a little touching?" Flarea asks, looking down at her with a warm smile. **(A/N No puns were intended in the making of this chapter)**

"K-kinda..."

"Hey, hey, hey, STOP with the tears, will ya, Gracie? We set this up to make ya SMILE, not CRY!" Loudred bursts out from the crowd.

Flarea sweatdrops and sighs before firing off a Flamethrower that shoots right over Loudred's head. The only one to really be shocked is Loudred, who stands there, wide eyed, and quivering.

"Next time you blurt something like that out, not only will it not miss, I won't be holding back neither. Watch your tongue, big mouth."

Loudred rapidly nods at the threat and sits where he is, curling himself into a ball. Wattson points and laughs at Loudred for it, before Flarea looks at him with that same glint in her eye.

"Want some as well?"

He holds up his hands in defence and shakes his head rapidly.

"Good."

Pretty soon, the party's in full swing. Gracie is happily chatting with Sunflora and Chimecho, Flarea is chowing down on Tamato Berries, and Wattson...he's just lost an arm wrestle with Loudred. Poor guy. Wigglytuff and Chatot are stood at the side, watching everybody enjoy themselves. And even the elder Torkoal is in the crowd of Pokemon, enjoying the festivities.

"You can never be to old to enjoy yourself at a party, Chatot." Wigglytuff states.

"Then what are we doing here and not with them?" Chatot asks, tilting his head.

"I want to save my party spirit for when Bolt and Karu DO return to the guild. Home."

"Hmmm...I guess your right. After all, the party for when they do come back is gonna be a big one, I know that much."

"Exactly." Just then, a Pelipper lands next to Chatot, and whispers something to him.

"Uhm..Wigglytuff, I'll be right back, I need to talk with this guy for a few moments..." Chatot and the Pelipper fly off for a moment.

It's at that point, where Wigglytuff senses something instantly wrong with this. He's known Chatot for all these years...But he can talk with Chatot later, once everything's died down. He still needs to watch over the party to make sure nobody spoils it.

"Chatot. You can tell me when you're ready what's wrong. Just don't leave it too long." He sighs and watches on. Everybody's enjoying themselves greatly with bright smiles on their faces. "...Alright, just a little fun." He runs into the crowd of Pokemon. "Don't party anymore without me, friendly friends!"

"Guildmaster?!"

"Please be careful!"

"Someone could get hurt!...Too late!"

"My leg!"

Flarea just sits to the side, chowing down on her Tamato Berries, watching on at the antics. "This guild.." She shakes her head, sighing. "I'm sure gonna miss them when we head out. This better be a good lead, guildmaster. I don't want Gracie coming to a dead end and giving up hope completely."

Much more later, the party dies down, and a few Pokemon are unconscious. This could either range from exhaustion, lack of sleep or the brief brawl that broke out earlier, Wattson and Loudred being the cause. Flarea soon put an end to that and is now quite happily finishing off her Tamato Berry feast.

"Things got real messy, real quick earlier." She tells Gracie, who's sat next to her, drinking some Sitrus Punch. "But honestly, despite what today was meant to be, I wouldn't have it any other way."

She giggles at her friend's honesty, making her look her way.

"What?"

"It's just a lot of the time you complain about how the guild is and how they spend their spare time. And you say you're gonna miss it now." She giggles again before adding "Make your mind up, Flare."

Flarea huffs, looking away and blushing lightly. "If I was an expert on making my mind up, things would have gone a lot different during the whole ordeal with Darkrai."

Gracie sighs and rolls her eyes. "Yeah, don't remind me..I'm surprised we got outta that alive to be honest."

"I'm not." Flarea states with a smirk.

"W-what?! How can you be-"

"We're the good side, remember?"

"Huh?"

"The ones with something to fight for! The ones who fight for justice! We fight to protect and not let the innocents get hurt. Well...if we can help it anyway." She giggles lightly.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Bad guys fall if any of their hope is lost. When good guys seem seem like they're about to lose, they remind themselves of who they're protecting and what they're fighting for. Remember..." She doesn't want to have to use this example buuuuut...

"Y'know how Bolt turned the tide in the battle with Dialga?"

Gracie slowly nods, sighing.

"More than likely, he thought about the messed up future you and him saw. If you failed, it'd stay that way. Neither of you wanted that, and Bolt knew that. You were unconscious, clinging to life for all he knew. That's why he turned Pikachu and let you recover. Having somebody to fight for. That's why we win."

"...You're right."

"I know...and sorry I used Bolt as an example."

"It's fine, Flare. Just mentioning him makes me all the more hyped to see him again. Anyway, should we head out now? If we head out, we should make it past Craggy Coast and to the entrance of Mt. Horn by sundown."

"...Yeah, I think this party's over. Weirdly enough, this punch hasn't been drunk yet. Was it made from Sitrus Berries?"

She nods. "I can definitely taste juiced up Sitrus in there."

"Good enough. I'll grab the ladle, you get our downed lizard friend." She grabs the handle of the ladle in her mouth, while Gracie opens the mouth of Wattson, who is completely out of it. Flarea scoops up a large amount of punch and, hovering it right above Wattson, she pours it directly into his mouth, while Gracie helps the liquid travel safely through his throat and into his system.

Straight away, his wounds heal up, and he jumps up, awake.

"Wattson's back, baby!" He shouts, pulling a victory pose.

"...Yo, thunder nut." Flarea flatly calls him, making him turn around. "We're headin' out."

"Do we have everything?" Gracie asks her.

"We left the stuff back at the guild. We're going past there anyway." Flarea states before turning over to Wigglytuff, who's just regained consciousness. "Hey, Guildmaster! We're heading out!"

"Oh! Already? Wait...how long have I been out?" He asks, getting up and putting a hand (?) to his mouth in wonder.

"Ummm...around 6 hours." Flarea answers, shrugging.

"..Oh." He then giggles child-like. "Well did you enjoy your going away party?" All three explorers nod their heads. "Yaay!" He does a little dance before turning back to them. "Well now that you've had a good time with your guildmates, time to head out and find our missing ones!"

"Wait, missing one-s-?!" Flarea takes a step back, glaring at him.

"O-oops...did I say that out loud...? Silly me...Heehee.." He gives her an innocent smile, hoping she'll drop it it.

Thankfully she does as she sees her friends motioning her to just head out with them. "Fine..let's go. Tell Blaze the situation, will ya? I don't want her worryin' about me when she returns, thinkin' I just ran off, leavin' her to you guys."

"Will do, Flarea! Have a safe trip you three!"

As the three explorers start their travels to the unknown, Wigglytuff remembers that Chatot seemed a little uneasy after the Pelipper had arrived. With that in mind, he turns and walks towards Sharpedo Bluff.

Sure enough, as he arrives there, he sees Chatot looking out into the ocean. He sighs and goes to sit next to his friend. Good thing he brought an Apple.

"Chatot. I knew you felt uneasy earlier, but to think you didn't return to see Team IceBurn off."

Chatot sighs and continues looking out. "Wigglytuff. As Guildmaster, you take on the responsibilities of the lives of all of your guildmembers, correct?"

"...That's correct. As guildmaster, I feel obliged to take responsibility for everything my guildmates do. Well...in terms of damage to public property anyway." He chuckles and rubs the back of his head. "But...what's this got to do with anything?"

"Pelipper came with news about the PokeKindergarten."

"You mean where..."

"Yes. And it was specifically her that the news was about. A Vespiquen started harrassing them because apparently, they trespassed on the territory of her swarm. It caused quite a commotion around the group of young ones...that Blaze has gone missing from them. Poor Mistress Nidoqueen was in tears when she couldn't find her."

"...Flarea..."

"Yes...if she'd have gotten wind of this before she went, she'd have stayed behind for any clues to her whereabouts."

"No, she would have gone anyway. But finding her would have been her top priority. You know how protective Flarea is over Blaze. She worries about her like I do with my guildmates."

"We were lucky to get Flarea to let Blaze join PokeKindergarten in the first place..now this has happened...Flarea's going to want to keep an eye on her 24/7."

"Mmhmm. She's not going to want to trust Nidoqueen again."

"Yes...so..what's the plan of action?"

"We let IceBurn get their stuff and go. Then we tell the rest of the guild to stay on high alert for news or leads to Blaze. Then we tell Team Geyser plus Bibarel to search, and get Team Charm on the job as well."

"You're taking quite overkill precautions aren't you?"

"Child of the guild missing, Chatot. Besides, even if we don't find her, there's a possibility Bolt or her father will."

**CHAPTER END**

**So...the identity of Blaze will be revealed later in the story. Though you guys can draw your own conclusions or theories :p**

**No Team Soul this chapter, but most of next chapter will focus on them, if not all!**

**Ciao for now!**


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